




A.^ 



"<<> " 
















V"- 



,0 



•^^0* 









"-* 









■<*. 
y 

/ 



r 



No. 348. W 



IH[ MARTYRS OP WALHALU 



OB, 



EARLY MISSIONARY ANNALS 



OF 



Northern Minnesota and Dakota. 



roMIMI.l.I) AND KDIXf.D HV 

MRS. CHARLOTTE 0. VAN CLEVE. 



k 



IMIII.ADF.MMirA : 

PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION 
AND SABBATH-SCHOOL WORK, 

No. 1331 CHIISTNUT STUKPrT. 



i 



.^^ 






COPYRIGHT, 18 90, BY 

THE TRUSTEES OF THE 

PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION 
AND SABBATH-SCHOOL WORK. 



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 



Westcott & Thomson, 
Siereotypers and Electrotypers, Philada. 



No. 348. 



TlIK M.VirrVKS OF WALll.VLLA. 



DnuNf; u dfli^rhtful tour tliruut^li XurtlRTii Dakota 
in tlie iiKJiitlj of.Jiiiif, 18^^.3, I liacl the pk'iu^urc of vi.sit- 
iij^ scvt-ral fliurrlM-s and .societies, meeting many intel- 
li;:ent, earnest (.'liri.^tian workers, and learning many 
interesting incid«'nts connected with tlie work of mis- 
sions in that part of the Territory. Tlie pK'asant rides 
r)V«'r the prairies, tlie warm welcome received at the iios- 
pitahle h«»mrs thrown wide oj)en to receive an«l welcome 
me iLs a si.-t«'r in (.'lirist, will never be forgotten. Ar- 
riving at Necho, the terminus of the railroad on tlic 
I'liited States side of the line, an esteemed co-work<'r 
and myself were met by a courteous and well-to-do 
farmer and conveyed to his thoroughly comfortahle 
home on the jirairif. There we learned that a meeting 
in the interests of foreign missiiuis had been arranged 
fur the iollowing <lay at the little meeting-li(»use seve- 
ral miles distant, where we would have the oj)j)ortunity 
we desired of speaking upon that subject. 

Sveral of the household were to g<» with us, and the 
next morning. aft«'r a satisfying breakfast, a comfort- 
able farm-wagon, well loaded, and <lrawn by our host's 
>plendid rercherons, wound its way past the wheat- 
lields and over the blossoming prairies to the place of 
meeting; an<l, standing in the doorway on that bright 
dune day, we saw with grateful emotion the loaded 
vehicles (MMiiing from ditrerent jxjints tilled with women 
and chihlren eager to hear and to talk of the grand 
subject of the evangelization of the worhl and the 
coming of the King. 

There are Christian women in our large cities who 
eacli month, clad in rich garments, roll up in luxu- 

3 



4 THE MARTYRS OF WALHALLA. 

rious carriages to churches elegantly furnished, and 
sit at ease in cushioned seats to hear and talk of this 
soul-stirring theme, who might learn lessons from their 
hard-working sisters on the outskirts who come up to 
the little plain churches or schoolhouses hungering for 
spiritual food and for knowledge as to how they can 
best do the work for the INIaster to which they have 
been called. They are weary in body, it may be, when 
they take their seats, but their eyes brighten and their 
hearts burn within them as they talk of these things 
and realize the presence of their Saviour ; and they 
return to their homes refreshed and strengthened, 
and all who see them take knowledge of them that 
they have been with Jesus. 

From Hyde Park we went over to Walhalla, and 
thence over the Pembina Mountains to Beaulieu, at 
which place we w^ere delightfully entertained at a 
model English farmhouse. Father Scott was our 
escort, and aided us in our twilight meeting in the 
little sod-roofed schoolhouse, which was filled to its 
utmost capacity; and we have reason to believe that 
an interest in foreign missions was aroused and stimu- 
lated. From the top of the Pembina Mountains we 
counted seventeen Mennonite villages in a circuit of 
a few miles, and, riding through some of them after- 
ward, were much interested in and astonished at the 
Mennonites' peculiar modes of living. They are good, 
law-abiding communities, and live entirely within them- 
selves, each village having its own shops, church and 
schoolhouse. The villagers all looked perfectly con- 
tented, and it was restful to see "people who were com- 
pletely out of the rush and excitement of the w^orld 
pursuing their daily duties diligently, meddling with 
no one outside and apparently satisfied with their own 
little sphere. They are all beyond the forty-ninth par- 
allel, and consequently are British subjects. Their 
villages, where each house on the one long street is 
the head of a farm that runs away over the prairie 
in a narrow strip, are a curiosity and well repay the 



TJIK MAliTYlLS OF WALHAIJ.A. 5 

visitor. Tii( V liavc larcre herds of cattle, which seem 
ju.-t a.s nicthoiiical, (juiet and orderly in their habits 
as their owikts. Returning to Walhalla, we enjoyed 
a j)ieasant sojourn at the manse where Kev. Mr. Scott 
and Ins wife re.-ide, and had several oj)portunities to 
meet the women of the place and talk to them of for- 
eign missions. 

This is a locality of especial interest. Our Presby- 
terian church owns here forty acres. This includes the 
manse an«l the most suitable ground on the slope of the 
mountains which lias been set apart and used as a cem- 
etery. The name " Walhalla" means the "IIou.se of 
the (i(Kl.»<," and from it.< i»re.<ent appearance it would 
seem t<» have been simply a ri'siing-j)lace for the deities, 
lor it is impos'iible to conceive of anything like war or 
commotion or activity of any kind in that little settle- 
ment lying so drow.-ily at the foot of the l*end)inii 
Mountains. Walking along one of its <juiet streets 
one evt-ning after tea. I noticed the ruins of a log 
h«»use, and be.-.i<le it a narrow njound. Impiiring what 
it was, 1 wa> told it was the grave of a missionary wo- 
man who \Nas munlered by the Indians many years 
ago. "What!" I exclaimed, "is there nothing to 
mark the >pot where lie the remains of one who suf- 
I'ert'd martyrdom for the .Mike of Christ?" — "Well," 
was the rej»ly, "there uvm a stone .^^et up, it is .<aid, but 
a man who took a claim over yon<ler on the prairie 
built a hotise and took the stone ibr a doorstej)." And 
this is the way in which we found Mi-s. Spencer's grave ! 
Tlu" information gain( d at that time in regard to the cir- 
cunistanees c<»nneeted with her death was very vague; 
our informants did not even know the name of the 
murdered woman. We were nnich imj»ressed with 
what wf liad heard, and in writing an account of our 
trip for the columns of a religious newspaper, I gave 
such information of the event il< could be gained, sug- 
jj^oting the j)roi>riety of erecting some kind of a mon- 
ument to prote<-t the huie grave from further desecra- 
tion. ThLs paper fell into the hands of Mrs. Webb of 



b THE MARTYRS OF WALHALLA. 

Oxford, Pennsylvania, the wife of the financial agent 
of Lincoln University. This lady forwarded it to 
Mrs. Chandler of the Madura Mission, India, a friend 
of Mrs. Spencer. Mrs. Chandler sent a number of 
Mrs. Spencer's letters, written to her while working 
among the Indians, and also a copy of one from Mr. 
Spencer to her mother in Ohio conveying tidings of 
her death and narrating the circumstances attending 
it. These letters, worn and yellow with age, Mrs. 
Webb enclosed to me, and they now lie before me. 
A few extracts from them will give some idea of the 
mission as it was at that time. 

Uuder date of June 16, 1853, in speaking of the 
infrequency of mails and the difficulties in the way 
of procuring supplies, Mrs. Spencer says : " When 
Mr. Spencer first came into the country, ten years ago, 
he received no mail whatever for one year and half, 
and the first two years or more that I spent at Cass 
Lake I thought myself favored to receive an answer 
to a letter in three months. I do not know how it 
will be here, but probably we shall have no mail this 
summer. . . . The people here are entirely under Ro- 
man Catholic influence, there being a priest and church 
here. . . . Many, however, are anxious to send their 
children to a Protestant school, and are prepared to 
appreciate the advantages of an education much more 
than the Indians, and are in a state to be benefited by 
our labors. There are about thirty houses ; some look 
quite neat and pretty. They are built of hewn logs, 
mudded quite smoothly outside and inside, with shin- 
gled roofs. One has window-shutters. Most of the 
people here, however, live in tents of skin as yet. The 
inhabitants dress like white people, except that the 
women wear no bonnets and braid their hair on their 
necks. A large number of the half-breeds, with their 
families, are now on the plains in search of bufflilo, 
and will be absent two or three months until they fill 
their carts with meat. We have obtained a house in 
which to spend the summer. We shall occupy it with 



THE MARTYRS OF WALHALLA. 7 

Brotlier Barnard an<l family. It is one of ]\[r. Kitt- 
son'.-* .•'torehou.ses (he i.s a trader here), quite large, 
with only one room and a chamber; our hou.^e will 
not l)e ready until fall. Mr. Kittson is .starting for 8t. 
Paul with ahove .sixty carts loaded with furs; he has 
more than four thousand huHalo robes, besides many 
other skins. Several other traders accompany him. 
There will be over one hundred carts in all. They 
will go across the plains direct t(^ Mendotxi, and will 
arrive there in a month." 

Again hIic writes : " (Jur suj)plies are sometimes de- 
layed, .so that we have to u.se a little Yankee ingenuity 
to get along con)fortably. We have suttered more 
from the delay and failure of food than clothing. But 
the lyord permitted us not to sutter with hunger, but 
fe<l us as truly a- he did Klijah, with good Hsh an<l the 
very finest of whortleberries, and we had milk and 
sugar. This occurred the first summer that we spent 
at Lake Winnebegioliish. The Indians sutfrred much 
that year from a failure in tln-ir crop of wild rice. 
W'c shall be ditUnntly situated here; we shall obtain 
llour from Selkirk's StlU-ment, seventy miles distant, 
and butfalo meat and other things here." 

Writing of the eHect of the gospel on tho.<e among 
whom they are lal)oring, she says: " I think that those 
who become Christians show tenderness of conscience 
and have ju>t idr:Ls of the sinfulness of sin. 1 have 
(•ften thought thev might ])Ut to shame many Chris- 
tians in civilized lands. At times, when the Indians 
have been obliged to subsist on fish, the church-mem- 
Ixrs at Kt-d Lake have gone without food over the 
Sabbath rather than visit their net^ on that day. A 
church-meml»er at Cass Lake got entirely out of food, 
and till" family had nothing to eat. He could not 
\Nith>tand the entreaties of his wife (not a Christian) 
and the cries of his children, and took his gun and 
went out, but wju* in great agony of mind. He walked 
all (lav without seeing any game. In the evening he 
Went to the mission to make confession of his fault." 



8 THE MARTYRS OF WALHALLA. 

In another letter, dated July 13, 1854, she says. 
" Since I wrote last we as a mission have been greatly 
afflicted. Our dear sister Barnard died October 25, 
1853. It was a bitter cup to me, and Brother Bar- 
nard feels bereaved indeed. He took his poor mother- 
less children to Ohio last spring, where he intends to 
leave them, returning here next fall ; so you see Mr. 
Spencer and myself are left alone to do what w^e can 
until help arrives. We design eventually to establish 
a boarding-school here, and with a view to this have 
taken five little boys into our family. We have had 
applications to take others, but I have hesitated to add 
to my cares during the warm weather, which affects me 
much, as I cannot endure the heat as I once did. . . . 
With the exception of two or three gentlemen from 
the States, all the residents of this place are Roman 
Catholics. The priest of course opposes our opera- 
tions, although he is kind and obliging as a neighbor. 
He has publicly announced that any who send their 
children to our school or place their children in our 
family shall not receive the sacrament. From the fact 
that this does not deter them we derive much encour- 
agement. . . . We have now a comfortable house, sur- 
rounded with some Yankee conveniences, such as a 
good cistern- well in a good cool cellar, etc. Then we 
have a fine garden and two good cows, all of which 
are great blessings. The Lord has raised up a very 
kind friend and helper in the Hon. Mr. Kittson. He 
is engaged in the fur-trade and resides at this place, 
but is now absent in the States. We have reason to 
hope the Lord has begun a good work in his heart and 
will perfect it. We have been a good deal annoyed 
of late by the Sioux prowling about our peaceful vil- 
lage and disturbing the quiet of its inhabitants. The 
former are at enmity with the Indians in this part of 
tlie country, and more recently with the half-breeds. 
The latter formed a party and went out upon the 
mountain to see if there really were any Sioux there. 
They found a number, and spoke kindly to them, but 



TIIK MARTYRS OF WALIIALLA. 9 

tliov answered not, and rai.-ed tlieir guns to fire ; the 
lialt-l)n-eds tlien tired and killed three. The rest of 
tlie jmrty hnn;,' around a ti-w days, and then departed. 
It is exjM'eteil they will return in a few days with a 
rcinforcciiient to avenge the deatli of their compan- 
ions. La>t Dee('nd)cr the Lord gave us a little son, 
whose srnilinL' happy fae<' cheers many a lonely hour. 
Jiraintrd i.> the largot, healthiest chihi we have 
had." 

With a few loving words Mrs. Spencer chases this 
last httcr to lur friend in India. In a few days the 
Indians di<i n-turn, and it wa.< j)rol)ably one of their 
numlxT who fin-d into that peaceful, hapj>y home and 
i>tilled the heart that heat so lovingly for her frientls, 
her hushaiid and h<r children, and for the i>oor un- 
taught, ignorant heathen to whom she so longed to tell 
the story of ".Jesus and his love." 

In enclosing these lett«*rs Mrs, Welti) sent the lirst 
contribution toward the monument which we had de- 
termined >hould he erected to the memory of Mrs. 
S|)encer: contributions from one or two other sources 
came in, an<l we felt that the object would be attained. 
At the nM'eting of the Women's H<»ard of tlu' North- 
west, at Davenport, I«)wa, which occurred in the month 
of A|»ril, 1M<H7, opjMtrtunity was granted at the evening 
reception which clo>ed our meeting there to lay the 
matter before the ladie.-. and 1 narrated the circum- 
stances as We had then learned them. At the close 
of the story a white haired sister whom 1 knew and 
love<l oi)tain(tl jurmi.-sion to say a few words. None 
who were |)re.sent at that great gathering will ever for- 
get the thrill that went through us all as, with stream- 
ing eyes and in tones tremulous with euKttion, she said : 
*' 1 want to tell y«tu that that man, Mr. Spencer, was 
my t)wn brother. an<l that his oldest daughter, Anna, is 
now the wife of a good earnest Christian. The sec- 
on«l daughter has been a niissi(»nary in Turkey for 
many years, and the baby-boy who was in his mother's 
arms when she received her dciith-wound is uow the 



10 THE MARTYRS OF WALHALLA. 

Rev. David Brainerd Spencer, and is doing good work 
for the Master." 

A moment's hush fell on the large audience, and 
unspoken praises went up to the throne for the al- 
mighty Father's tender care and wonderful preserva- 
tion of those motherless children. Our beloved treas- 
urer, Mrs. Farwell, then suggested a collection, and a 
generous amount was put into my hands toward the 
memorial stone. The story was told at several other 
places during a summer tour, and collections were 
taken up. At Grand Forks a liberal contribution was 
given, and on reaching home arrangements were made 
with Farnham & Sullivan, marble-workers of Minne- 
apolis, for preparing a white marble monument bear- 
ing the following inscription : 

Sacred to the Memory 

OF 

MRS. COENELIA LEON A ED SPENCER, 

Born August 3, 1825. 

Killed by Indians, 

August 30, 1854, 

At Walhalla, 

where she and her husband were laboring as missionaries. 

"Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown 
of life." 

AVhen completed the marble shaft was shipped to 
Bathgate, care of Rev. Mr. Schell, to be cared for 
until the following June, which was the time set for 
the removal of the remains to the Presbyterian ceme- 
tery at AValhalla. After paying for the stone and its 
transportation to Bathgate, there was a small balance 
left over from the amount contributed. It was arranged 
that this removal should be made a memorable occa- 
sion, and that there should be a large gathering with 



THE MAIiTYIlS OF WALUALLA. 11 

ui)proj)riat(' r^ervice.'?, which, it wa-s hoped, would be 
not only ini|)re>sive and interesting, but also a means 
of arousing all present to greater diligence in the 
blesse-d work of sj)reading the gospel. Meantime, I 
had obtained the address of each of the children, had 
written to them, and iiad received replies, all express- 
ing grateful ple:isure at the movement of the friends 
wlio were working to secure a resting-place and a me- 
morial .-tone for their martyred motlier's remains. 

Mrs. Anmi Sj)encer Thacker, tiie oldest child, writes 
as follows: " We received a letter from our aunt Mrs. 
Drew giving us an account of the wonderful circum- 
>tanees connected with our mother's grave, as related 
at tin- last evening session of your meeting at Daven- 
jiort. Tu us it seemed like a wonderful answer to 
|)ray. r. To tin<l her lonely grave and lay her by our 
fallier's sid** had be<'n a cherishe«l hoj)e of my younger 
>i>ter ("harlolte, and was only n-Iin<piished during the 
la.-t year because of failing health and lack of neces- 
sary funds. Aunt re(juested me to give you the ibllow- 
ing items: Mrs. ( 'ornelia Ivi-onanl Sjuncer, born August 
;;, 1.S2'); nuirried Mav J(j, \SV.\ ; died AuL'Ust iJO, 
l.s.Vl. 

" l-'athrr's nio-t intimate friend during those years 
of missionary life was Kev. Alonzo liarnard. They 
went to I'lMnbina or St. .Joseph, now called Walhalla, 
in \^'>'\, to form their lifth mi»ion-station in that re- 
gion. It had se«ined a«lvisal)le U) go there, though 
it was above one hundred miles fn>m any white settler. 
The houses had been built and the families settled. 
'Ihe la<lies had .^elected a lovely grove between the 
hou.>*es a.s a playground Ibr the children." 

In a communication IVom Kev. Mr. JJarnard in reply 
to my expressed wish to learn something of Mrs. Bar- 
nard's d«ath, which occurred soon after this, I learn 
that she did not die then*, but at what was then called 
the Selkirk Settlement, near Manitoba, not far from 
tJM' city ot" Winnipeg. Mrs. Thacker says: "Mrs. 
liarnartl, dying a few months alterward from <juick 



12 THE MARTYRS OF WALHALLA. 

consumption brought on by exposure in this rough life, 
was buried, in accordance with her dying wish, in the 
pretty little grove alluded to. Our mother, killed 
eight months later, was laid by her side a few feet to 
the north. Mr. Barnard purchased a stone and car- 
ried it a distance of one hundred miles, only to have 
it broken to pieces by the Indians ; but he laid the 
fragments on his wife's grave on his last visit in that 
part of the country, hoping that they might be allowed 
to remain to mark the spot." 

Miss Charlotte D. Spencer, wdiose health is feeble, 
and who has been obliged to return from her mission- 
work in Turkey, is in the State of Michigan, and has 
wTitten several letters to me on this subject, expressing 
gratitude for the movement toward marking tlie rest- 
ing-place of her mother, and approving of the inscrip- 
tion suggested for her memorial stone. All the chil- 
dren are desirous of being present at the services in 
June, and we sincerely hope God may so order it that 
their washes may be gratified. 

When the first steps were taken in regard to this 
work of marking the graves we did not know that 
Mrs. Barnard's remains were beside Mrs. Spencer's. 
There was a vague rumor to the effect that they had 
been buried there, but had been removed. Learning, 
however, the truth from her husband, it seemed emi- 
nently proper that Mrs. Barnard's precious dust should 
likewise be removed to the quiet, picturesque cemetery 
by the manse, and that her grave also should be prop- 
erly marked. 

A proposition w^as made to add an appropriate in- 
scription to the stone already prepared for Mrs. Spen- 
cer's grave, and so to arrange it that it would answer 
for both graves. But some difficulties arose in the 
way of carrying out this suggestion, and after a good 
deal of perplexing consideration and corresjwndence 
it was decided to secure the pieces of the original 
stone, and, after putting them in as good repair as pos- 
sible, place them on the grave of Mrs. Barnard, which 



THE MARTYRS OF WALIIALLA. 13 

is to 1)0 side by f"i<l<' witli tliat <»f her beloved and 
clieri.-lied friend. Thi.s appear:? to be the best and 
most fitting use that can be made of the.se memorial 
fratrnients. 

liev. Mr. Sohell, who has been untiring in his efforts 
to do the very best thing in regard to this whole mat- 
ter, writes me as follows of this final arrangement: " 1 
have at last succeeded in getting possession of the two 
main j)i«'(.vs of the original stont- brought from Selkirk 
Settlement nearly thirty-f >ur years ago, anil laid upon 
the grave oi' Mrs. JJarnard l>y her husband on the 
oeausion of his last visit to this part of tiie country. 
The j)ieces were at different places three mile.s apart 
and six miles distant fn>nj W'alhaila. One ]>iece had to 
lie dug out from under the earth and the (h'bris which 
had covered it at the door of a shanty or dwelling that 
had been burned <lown a year ago. A sniall piece 1 
discovered lying along the e<lge of a ravine near an 
«)ld stabh'. The seeoml main piece I obtiiined at an- 
otlier i)iaee, when* it wa.-^ still in use as a doorstep. 
The parly excused his unseemly abuse of the old stone 
l»y staling that he foun<l no inscri))tion on it, anil there- 
fore supj)o>cd tliat it liad bet-n set uj) over the grave of 
some Indian ! 

'i'he >tone bears no sign of any inscrij)tion at j>resent, 
and I infer that the record must have i)een put on with 
paint, which had faded out or lieen worn off. I have 
written to Father liarnard on tliat point, but as yet 
have received no reply. The size of the two when 
joined togctlur will be twenty by f »rty inches, rountl- 
ed at the top. 'fhe material is a line-grained lime- 
.''tone or soft marble. 

We thought that about the best thing we c(juld do 
in the circumstances would be to secure a limest<jne 
or sandst«»ne slab about twenty-four by forty-eight 
inclu's to lay upon Mrs. Barnard's grave by the side 
of' Mrs. Spencer's monument, and have the old stone 
joine<i together an<I fastened to tlu* slab with dowel 
pins and cement, and then inscribed as follows: 



14 THE MARTYRS OF WALHALLA. 

In Memory 

OF 

SAEAH PHILENA, 

Wife of Aloxzo Barnard, 

Who died Oct. 25, 1853, 

of quick consumption, the result of ten years' exposure and 
suffering as 

A missionary 
for the good of the Indians. 

A-ged 34 years 19 days. 
Ps. 32 : 8 and 37 : 3. 

This stone, brought from Selkirk, Manitoba, 1856; broken, it 

was laid upon the grave ; afterward removed and lost, 

recovered and reverently restored 

June 21, 1888. 

When it was proposed that we should in some way- 
record the death of Mrs. Barnard and the murder 
of Mr. Terry, a generous subscription was handed us 
from the Westminster Church, Minneapolis, which 
will go toward that purpose, although it will not be 
sufficient to cover all expenses connected with it. But 
we believe that God, who has hitherto helped us and 
guided us in our efforts, will in some way supply our 
need and enable us to carry out our plans for preserv- 
ing the memory of his faithful servants. 

Among the papers and letters sent me by the chil- 
dren of Mrs. Spencer is one of unusual interest bear- 
ing date St. Joseph, Pembina, August 25, 1854, begun 
by Mrs. Spencer to her mother five days before her 
death, and finished by Mr, Spencer a few days after 
she was laid in her grave. I copy from it some extracts 
which give the details of the bloody work done by the 
cruel savages on that 30th day of August. There have 
been given by one and another many accounts of it 



^ 



THE MARTYIIS (JF WALIIALI.A. 15 

upon which we cnuhi not fully rtly, hut of course thU 
is the exact truth : 

"St. Jo.-zrn, IV-iubinii, Auirust 23, 1S54. 

"My I)i:ak Mother: With j)lea."sure I take my 
pen once more to talk with you a little while waiting 
tor Mr. Sj)enc«T. I have Ioul'***! tor a hriet" space tiuit 
I mi^ht record the lovinL'-kindnes.^ and lovin;: care ot* 
our tender .Shepherd. We are all — " . . . *' Little <lid 
either of u.s ima^Mne, wlien my dear departed wife 
penned the:>e her hust lines, that the melanclioiy chity 
would devolve upon me of tilliriL' out this slicet with 
the recital of her su<li!en and tragic end. But t^o it is. 
Verily, we know not what a day may l)rin;: forth. A 
voice from thr other world a<idn'sse.s us, * Jie ye also 
ready, for in an hour when ye think not the S<in of 
nuin Cometh.' . . . The cin-umstanc*-?* are hrit Hy the.«ie. 
On the njorniiiLr of August oOth, Ixtween one and two 
o'cl<K'k, myself antl wife aro.«ie to att«nd to the children, 
tlie two eldot of whom were in a trumlh-iM'd at the 
side of our own. We were preparini: to ntirc, 0»r- 
iielia being in the act of lying (h>wn, while I wjus 
ahout to hlow out tin- light, wlu-n the fatal shot came. 
Th(»ugh I heard luit one nj)orl, it is suj)posed that two 
guns were tired simultaneously, the two halls passing 
through the same j)ane of gla<s and the same curtain, 
which was pierced in four places, and one of tliem 
passing through the hedpost. Hoth halls took etfect 
in the upper |)art of the hreast of my dear wife, and 
came out at the hack; one of them, taking a more 
downward <lirection, nasseii through the lungs, 

'*Suj)posing it was hut the jtnlude to a more gene- 
ral attack, my tirst thought was to barricade the win- 
dows, hut the hoanls which I had heeii accustomed to 
u.se were not at hand. As I turned towanl the hed, I 
saw for the tirst time that my dear wife wa» shot and 
was falling upon the hed. She had said nothing ex- 
cept to utter an ex(damation at tirst. At a glance I 
perceived that the wound w:us faUil, and ran for a guu 



16 THE MARTYRS OF WALHALLA. 

as the only means at hand to call for help. I fired 
several shots at the door, which, however, failed their 
intended effect. Our nearest neighbor lived at the dis- 
tance of about twenty-five rods ; the Indian (or half- 
breed) boys were abed up stairs ; the risk was too 
great to venture outside, and what a scene was that 
for a husband and father! — his beloved companion 
weltering in her blood, and his children, one of them 
an infant at the breast, crying with terror and cov- 
ered with their mother's life's blood! 

" I scarcely know how I lived through that awful 
night. My first effort was to get the babe asleep and 
compose the other children, and in this I was success- 
ful so far as to be able to attend to my poor dying wife. 
She had by this time recovered in part from her swoon, 
so as to have crawled from the bed, and was now 
stretched out on the floor. While she lay there insen- 
sible, as I supposed, to her situation, she remarked that 
the floor was very hard, and I immediately got a feather 
bed and removed her to it. She lay for nearly three 
hours after she was shot, perhaps half of the time in 
a conscious state and in great bodily suffering. She 
frequently called for water, and always spoke of its 
being very grateful to her. She remarked at times, 
' I feel so strangely ; what is the matter ? Have I 
been shot ? Can you not put a plaster on the wound ?' 
This was at first, but afterward, when she fully com- 
prehended that she could not live long, her thoughts 
were directed more to the Saviour, whose name in ejac- 
ulatory prayer was frequently upon her lips. At one 
time she said, ' Tell Anna to love the Saviour ;' at 
another time, when I opened the outside door, she 
remarked twice, very earnestly, 'Oh, don't go out! 
don't go out !' I asked her if the Saviour was pre- 
cious to her. She replied, ' He is my only hope.' To- 
ward the close she said several times, ' I cannot die.' 
At first I did not know in what sense to understand 
her, not knowing but that it might be an unwilling- 
ness to die ; but my mind was relieved soon after by 



THE MAinVILS OF WALHALLA. 17 

her .«ayinp:, 'Oh, JesufJ, if it is thy will, lot me die; 
l)iit oh, jrivo me patience.' Siie was in great afrony 
and moved constantly from side to sside, attempting 
to rise; for the last hour she suffered much from cohl, 
hut just hel'ore tlie close slie was more composed, and 
scem<'<l to engage in prayer and con)munion with 
the things of another world. Once 1 tiiouglit I dis- 
tinguislnd ' I'ncious Jesus I' This was the liL-t I heard, 
and soon after her ransomed sjiirit was, as wi' have rea- 
son to trust, in that liappy land about which she so 
oft<'n Hang with tlie children. 

" During the closing scene the two youngt^t chil- 
dren were a'ileep, and the oldest comparatively «|uiet, 
so that 1 could give all my attention to my p(K>r <lying 
wife and could close her eyes. For this melancholy 
privilege I was gratil'ul to my heaveidy Father, wli<).««e 
gra<e was suftici«nt f«»r me in this my hour of sorest 
iie<<l. As soon a.« the day was sutK<'ienlly advanced 
to render it sale to venture out, I locked the door and 
w«'nt for assistance. The neighhors soon collecte<l, an<l 
were very kind in th«'ir attentions, «loing everything 
necessary to he done. 

"Toward the close of the day all things Iwing in 
readine.«is. with ai)|)roj»riate services we committed the 
dear remains to their final resting-jilace hy the si(ie of 
Sister Barnard's grave. Kfforts were nuide l)y the 
citizens to find the murderers, hut without succe.«*s. . . . 
I hav«* had no murmuring or repining th<»ught ; it has 
touched the aj)j>le of' my eye and torn from nie the 
companion ot' my lK»som, the light of my eyes and joy 
of my heart — her upon whom I leane(l for c<»U!isel, my 
interpreter, the instructor of the mission-hoys in relig- 
ious things, and the iaithful mother of our children. 
Towanl lier murderers I have no feeling hut of pity 
and compassion. I hlessClod that another .siint luis got- 
ten safe home to glor)', and that the hlow has fallen ujkju 
one of the very few in these parts who, we believe, was 

{)repared to exchange worlds. That the affliction has 
H'en sanctitied to my soul and nuide the means of rich 
2 



18 THE MARTYRS OF WALHALl.A. 

blessing — how rich I cannot tell you — is true, but at 
the same time I have no wish to disguise the fact that 
I am desolate and afflicted. 

'" In regard to the future I have no plans, nor do I 
conjecture what designs the Lord has in respect to me 
and mine. Until Brother Barnard comes ray duty is 
plain — to stay on the ground, to secure the crops and 
take care of the property. If the season should not 
be too far advanced then, it is possible that it may be 
thought best to go to the States this fall with my two 
oldest children. I know of no one but yourself with 
whom I should be willing to entrust them ; they are with 
me, but the babe is cared for by friends in the village." 

I have given this detailed account of this sad trag- 
edy, written by Mr. Spencer, because there have been 
so many different accounts floating about since we made 
a movement toward bringing the matter before the pub- 
lic that it seemed desirable the exact truth should be 
stated. In a most interesting sketch of his life, writ- 
ten by Mr. Spencer for his children, he says, in speak- 
ing of the terrible experience narrated above : " After 
the abandonment of the station I returned with the 
children to find a temporary home for them in the 
States, a half-breed woman in the caravan taking the 
charge of Brainerd, then eight months old. One 
night we stopped on the buffalo plains near a Sioux 
encampment : one of the traders came over to visit 
us, and from him I learned that the Indian who fired 
the fatal shot told him that it was entirely at random, 
and that he never would have done it had he known 
that white folks lived there." 

From a very interesting communication from the Rev. 
S. G. Wright, now laboring under our Foreign Board 
of Missions among the Indians in Wisconsin, I copy 
the following. After giving an account of the mur- 
der of Mrs. Spencer, he says: *'An Indian woman 
was engaged to nurse the baby-boy until the next 
spring, when Mr. Spencer made arrangements to 
accompany the caravan of seven hundred Ked River 



THE MARTYRS OF W.MJIALLA. 19 

Ciirt« controlled by Mr. Kittson, now of Rt. Paul, to 
that })lacf'. The little frirl.s were seated in the earti* ; 
fur the hahe a swinjr was .su.sj)ended fn»m the axle-tree 
under the body of the cart, and in this way it was car- 
ried across the plains to St. Paul. One evenin;.', after 
the caravan had encainj>e«l for the ni>,dit. some of the 
('hi|)j)e\va half-l)ree<i<, wanderini: out from the camp 
in search of game, overtook and captured three Sioux, 
all young men. Siinc one of the party recognized 
them, and presumcil that they were the identical men 
who were stealing horses the fall In-fore, and very like- 
ly fired the shot that killed Mrs. Sj)encer. They were 
hnjught before Mr. Kitt.-^on, an<] a few moments' si-arch- 
iiig questioning .<iettled the faet that they wrre the mur- 
derers. Mr. KitUon brought them Ix-fore Mr. Sj>encer, 
and, pointing to the inolherle.ss children, told them what 
they had done. They trembled violently, for they ex- 
jKcti'<l that the white man whom they iiad .^o cruelly 
wronged would instiintly avenge the wrong. Mr. 
Sj)encer by an inter|)ret4'r lUvsured them they were 
safe, JHcause h<' w:ls u (hri.-tian and the liible taught 
him to I'orgive hi> enemies: he gave them a gotni talk, 
shook hands with thnn and iiade them renuinlK-r the 
le.saon Uv had taught tlinii." 

In hxtking over the various jtajxTS which have l)eeii 
put in my hands in regard to th«' work of mi->ionaries 
at Walhalla. I find nuntion made of a Mr. Tirry who 
di«l good Work in the mi»ion there as a teacher anil was 
highly e.>leemetl. While engaged in cutting timber for 
the pur|)o.<e of erecting a building which was much need- 
ed in the work, he was shot by .some Indians, and until 
recently every eti'ort ma«le to tind where he was buried 
w:ls unsucce.s.sful. He was killed .some two ycai> before 
Mrs. Spencer. From a brother of Mr. Terry living in St. 
Paul \vr have lcarn«d that his iKath occurre(l in l.S")2, 
in the late .-ummer or early fail. He too was a niar- 
tyr for the cau.se of Chri.««t. His remains are to Ikj 
removed to the martyrs' lot in the cemetery at Wal- 
halla, and the place marked by a suitable tablet. 



20 THE MARTYRS OJ^ WALHALLA. 

We append to this story of missionaries and their 
trials some valuable papers furnished by friends who 
have taken part or are interested in the work, which 
give the history of the mission and many incidents con- 
nected with it which are well worthy of preservation : 

Narrative by Mr. Barnard. 

In the summer of 1842 there came to the East a 
missionary from the far North-west whose name was 
Frederick Ayer. He and his wife had been teachers 
in the Indian boarding-school at Mackinac, and were 
commissioned by the American Board to labor among 
the Ojibway Indians in the region of Lake Su})erior. 
In a comparatively short space of time they and their 
co-laborers had wrought a great change in the condi- 
tion of the peo})le, both temporally and spiritually. 
Many of them had adopted the customs of the whites, 
had built comfortable houses and their children were 
in school. Some of them had been brought to the sav- 
ing knowledge of the Redeemer. 

But this prosperity was disturbed by the sudden ar- 
rival of their enemies, the Sioux. A battle was fought 
on the mission-ground, the bullets and arrows flying 
in every direction. Happily, the missionaries escaped 
unhurt, but their people, some killed and some wound- 
ed, were so frightened and discouraged that they fled 
from their homes to a more secure retreat. They had 
just returned from a treaty of peace with the Sioux, 
held somewhere near the present site of Minneapolis, 
INIinnesota. Here they shook hands with their former 
enemies, and with them feasted on dogs' flesh, took part in 
their medicine dance and smoked the pipe of peace. The 
ceremonies over, the Ojibways started for their homes, 
rejoicing in the prospect of future peace ; but just before 
they reached the mission they were surprised by a large 
party of the Sioux, who pursued them and fought them 
at their own homes. The cause of this outrage was a re- 
port just after the Ojibways left that one of the Sioux 
had been slain somewhere up the Mississippi River. 



THK MAIiTYILS OF WALHALLA. 21 

ThirstiiiL' r«»r revenge, they ignored their peace treaty 
and t<)ll()U«<l ill the trail-ot* the Ojibways a.- the most 
sure way <»t' wnakiiiir Vi-ngeanee. Tlie ct)nse<juenee 
• •t' this was tlie ahandonnifiit of the mission, an<i Mr. 
Aycr, wishing to continue his hil)ors tor the In<liaiis, 
iiia<h- a tour to the Kast, accompanied hy his wite. two 
hoys and a Christian Indian young woman. His visit 
awokr an inl('n>t in hehaif of the red men which n- 
siilted in tin- formation of a society in Northern Oliio 
calhd the " Western Evangelical Mi.s>ionary Associa- 
tion," its j)iirpost' hcing to aid persons who wislu-il to 
join Mr. Aycr in liis ninlrrtakiiii:. ly^aving his fam- 
ily to sjHiid ihf wintiT in ()lii'>. lie nturnrd to his 
field in the fall, accoiujianicd hy a young man hy the 
nam*' of Sprnor. Tlicy j)roc<MMhd In* wattr as far a.s 
La Point*', mar ihr head of Lakr SujHrior, where wjls 
:iii Aimriran 15<»ard mis.xion-station in charge of Mi^x-^rs. 
Hail and WIkmIit. It was thi-n* drci<h'd in council 
that a tour ot" inspection he made in the interior re- 
mote from tlu' hostile Sioux, and Mi-?v»rs. Ayer and 
Spi-ncer were «hlegated to that w<»rk. Winter having 
wt in, they procured a train of (logs and sit out for 
the liead-waters of the Mi>sis>ippi Kiver. The result 
was the formation of a statii>n at Ked Lake, stune 
thirty miles heyoiid the head of that river. 

In the early spriiiir «»f l*^4ii they commenced oj»e- 
ratioiis, hwildin:: a hark hut and clearing land for a 
L'ardeii. Leaving .Mr. S|»encer in charge «»f the place, 
Mr. Aycr returned to La Pointe to meet his family. 
Meanwhile, the interest increa.>cd in Ohict, and rcsulteil 
ill the eunseeralion of a numher of |H-r.«ons to that 
work, among whom were the writer and his wile. The 
socitty, heing new and without funds, could pronii.-se 
no ^alary, hut pledged it> iidluence and aid in liic 
shape of clothing and arti<les donated hy henevolcnt 
societies an<l individuals for our own use, any surjdus 
to be exchanged with the Indians for food. Commit- 
ting <»urselves t«> the I>ord. we set out with Mr. Ayer's 
familv, hclicviiiLT that (tod would not allow us to starve 



22 THE MARTYRS OF WALHALLA. 

in his work. Passing up the lakes, we reached La 
Pointe, where Mr. Ayer awaited us. There being 
but one vessel on Lake Superior, and our family goods 
not having arrived, Mr. Ayer and family had to wait 
for the return trip. Mr. Wright and myself pushed on 
to join Mr. Spencer at Red Lake, leaving Mrs. Bar- 
nard to come on with Mr. Ayer's family. 

In our bark canoe we made our way along the south 
shore of Lake Superior to Fond du Lac, where we 
found a Methodist station in charge of an Indian 
interpreter. From thence we proceeded up the St. 
Louis River to its head, then over the ridge down to 
the Mississippi River, where, at Sandy Lake, we found 
another Methodist station, the missionary being absent ; 
from thence up the Mississippi River to its head, over 
the ridge dividing the waters of Hudson's Bay and 
the Gulf of Mexico, and down a small stream to Red 
Lake, thirty miles beyond. There, on the 14th of Au- 
gust, we found Mr. Spencer in his bark hut, living on 
Indian sugar and working his garden. 

Our first business was to prepare for the winter. 
We procured a bark canoe, and went in search of 
meadow ground to secure hay for Mr. Ayer's horses 
and whatever other stock we might have. That accom- 
plished, all by hand — mowing with a scythe and car- 
rying upon poles to the stack — our next work was a 
more suitable building for winter. A commodious 
log house was started, and partly finished when the 
rest of the company arrived on the 6th of October, 
my wife's twenty-fourth birthday ; but winter set in 
before we could complete the house, and we were 
obliged to winter in the bark hut. Food being scarce, 
we were compelled to resort to the Indian custom and 
get our supply of whitefish from the lake ; we also 
procured some corn and potatoes from the Indians. 
The corn we had to grind in hand-mills, and a portion 
of the potatoes froze. Fearing we should run short 
before spring, Mr. Ayer and myself started on No- 
vember oOth lor the Selkirk Settlement, a distance of 



THE MARTYRS < >F WAIJIALLA. 23 

thno hundred mile?:, to procure food and some domes- 
tic aniniiils. We were cordially received by all par- 
ties, and made the acquaintance of the governor and 
some of the principal merchants an«l the Seotch farm- 
ers. Mr. Ayer sold his horses an<l purchased oxen and 
cows, ami with my ritlc I hou<rht a cow. Our new- 
made IVinxls loailed our ox-trains with provisions with- 
out char;:(*. (Jn the ><th of January, about midniirht, 
we rcaclM-d our home. The winK-r was sjK-nt in caring 
for ourselve.f an«l animals ; we did not, however, neglect 
the Indians. Mr. Ayer, having a knowledge of tlie lan- 
guage, s[M-nt ino.ot of his time visiting and preaching to 
them, wjjilst the re."«t of us p«*rt"ormed tlu' .«iecular work. 

A j)art of our company having commencitl ojK'ra- 
tion.s at I>eech Lake. Mr. Spmctr joim'<i iln'in in the 
spring of 1^44. Mr. Ayrr had a small salary from 
tlM' Atm-rican IJoard, whiK* thr r»*st, though nominally 
undt-r the auspices of the '* Western Kvangrlieal Mis- 
sionary Socitiy," n-ctiv<-d only clothing, as abov*' 
stated. Thus we labored and prayed, with body and 
Hpirit, till (iod gave us a token of acceptanee in ihi' 
outpouring of his Spirit among the lu-athen. Within 
tlu; sec<»nd year (piite a nund>er were brought to a sav- 
ing knowledge ot the Redeemer; a church was forme<l 
comp<»sed ol' the mi.vionaries and a numlH-r ot" natives 
who honored their profi»i«»n and died in the triumjih.s 
of faith. A school was e.-lablished f »r the children 
and youth, who were taught to read, first in their (»wn 
language and then in Kngli.-h. The seh<»ol was taught 
njosijy by the nn>sionary women. \\ho in-tructed the 
girls in needlework in our dwelling-hou>es until a 
^chool wa.> also held ev«nings, in which the chihlren 
learm'd t«> sing many hymns which were translated 
into their language, to the amusement and delight of 
their pariiits, who were usiuilly present. 

In conse<pience of the dithculty, ex|K'n.*^e and un- 
certainty of getting our yearly supplies by the way 
of the lake.**, it was thought desirable to ascertain tho 
fea.'-ibility t)f the Mi.ssi.-^sippi r«)Ute. Accijrdingly, in 



24 THE MARTYRS OF WALHALLA. 

January, 1845, Mr. P. O. Johnston of Leech Lake 
and myself, with our dog-train, made a journey to 
Fort Snelling. That country was then a vast wilder- 
ness, there being but three small trading-posts above 
the Falls of St. Anthony. At one of these we found 
a large gathering of Sioux and Ojibway Indians in a 
council of peace. A short time previously a son of 
the old Sioux chief had been killed by an Ojibway. 
Instead of seeking revenge in the accustomed way, the 
chief had listened to the advice of the trader, and had 
come with his braves to smoke the pipe of peace with 
his enemies. Being invited to join in the ceremony, 
we cheerfully consented, and, sitting by the side of the 
bereaved chief, I took the pipe from his hand, and, tak- 
ing a whiff, with a nod passed it over to the next, sig- 
nifying an approval of their peace-making. 

On the present site of Minneapolis was a solitary 
Government grist-mill attended by a soldier ; where St. 
Paul now is there were but three or four buildings. It 
was then called " Devil's Den," from the character of 
its inhabitants. We visited the Pond brothers at their 
mission-station among the Sioux some miles up the St. 
Peter's (Minnesota) River. Having made arrange- 
ments for the transportation of our supplies by that 
route, we returned to our homes. On reaching Leech 
Lake we found that a gang of desperadoes whom the 
chief was unable to control had commenced depreda- 
tions upon the mission, breaking open their storehouse 
and showing other signs of outrage, and soon after killed 
one of their cattle, and evinced such a determination 
to continue their disturbances as led to the abandon- 
ment of the mission in early summer. Dr. Lewis and 
wife and Mr. Spencer joined the Red Lake mission, 
and Mr. Johnston returned to Lake Superior. 

During the ensuing fall we were informed that the 
W. E. M. Society was about to unite with two other 
organizations and form a new society, which would 
take us under their charge, promising us aid as for- 
merly and requesting us to enlarge our work. The 



THE MARTYRS OF WALHALLA. 25 

Cass Lake Indians liaving urL'cntly called for teachers, 
and we heinti selected lor that work, Mr. SjK'ncer and 
myself visited them in the early winter and made ar- 
rangements for the o|xning of a station there. The 
wint.'-r wit< spent in movin<r our household }j:oods and 
(Uttint^ and haulinu' timber inr a house, and in the 
.-prin^' active operations commenced. A hark house 
wiL< mad«- for summer use, and a commodious lop house 
completed before winter. Meanwhile, the children and 
youth were taught in our kitchen by Mrs. Barnard in 
aildition to her housrhohl duti«'s, the care of our infant 
daughter and two Imlian children. The Indians had 
the g(»s|Md pnachcd to them on Sabbath and at t)ur 
daily family worshij). In tli«* summiT of 1^41 we were 
n'inf(»rccd by tin* arrival of Kev. A. B. Adams an<l 
wif»', and Mi>s Cornelia I>e(mard, who afterward Ik*- 
carui' th«- wife of Mr. SjM'ncer. The new society under 
which we then labored w:ls ciilled the "American Mis- 
sionary Association," a strictly anti.-lavery and uiule- 
nomiiiational (jrgani/,alion. whose hi>l«>ry i:* too well 
known to neeil turtlur remark.-. 

Mr. Barnard then intro<luees a c<»mmunication from 
Kev. S. ( I. Wright, wliu has been mentioned in his nar- 
nitive, from which we make some extracts. After 
giving several fact< which have Ixn-n recorded by Mr. 
Jiarnard, he s;iy.s : "Kev. Mr. Aver preached in the 
native language, having labore<l among the Indians 
in the vicinity of Lake SujKTior some lifteeu years 
before we came into the country. His labors at Ked 
Lake extend from 1-H4.) to l>;4i), when he moved down 
to the Frontier Belle Brairie, where his widow an<l son 
>till reside." So it seems from the accounts of Mr. 
liarnard and Mr. Wright that the Ayers were the 
ohiest missionary workers in this part of the country. 
After the war they di«l good work among the freedmen 
in the South, when Mr. Ayer laid down his long and 
useful life and went home to the rest that remaineth. 
Mrs. Ayer is one of my deure^t friends, and is a living 



26 THE MARTYRS OF WALHALLA. 

embodiment of a well-spent life — a life in which self 
has been entirely ignored and Christ has been honored 
and glorified. Her old age is beautiful, her peace of 
mind is perfect, her faith clear as the noonday, and her 
sweet presence will be much missed from her son's 
household when she shall be called to join the dear 
ones gone before and to be for ever with her Lord. 

Mr. Wright continues : " In 1844, Mr. O. A. Coe and 
wife joined the mission at Red Lake, and in 1854 they 
left that station and settled at Belle Prairie. In 1856 
the mission at Red Lake was abandoned, and Mr. 
Wright, Mr. Lafferty and Mr. Carver, with their wives, 
all moved to Winnebegoshish and established a mis- 
sion, which, however, was not sustained many months. 

" The Episcopalians began at Gull Lake in 1852. 
Mr. Breck, and afterward Mr. Peak, labored there, 
but on account of bad treatment by drunken Indians 
the mission was abandoned. I have said the mis- 
sion with which we were connected discontinued its 
work in 1859. The missionaries went different ways, 
some to secular work, some into mission-work in other 
fields. I remained in the country in the service of 
the Government in the care of Government schools 
and other work. I preached to the Indians as usual. 
In 1862, 1 went South with my family for five years, and 
was then invited by the Government agent to return and 
resume the care of the boarding-school. I returned, and 
remained in the service of the Government until 1883, 
when failing health compelled me to leave the work. 

" During these years, more especially from 1875 to 
1879, we saw more fruits of our labors than at any 
previous time. Conversions were frequent, and the 
real spirituality of many was remarkable. Bishop 
Whipple began his work at White Earth in 1868, and 
extended it to Red Lake, Cass Lake and Winnebe- 
goshish, and during two years that I was absent, 
1879 to 1881, he began work at Leech Lake. At all 
these places he built churches and baptized a large 
number of those who had been instructed by other 



THE MAKTVR< OF WALHALLA. 27 

iiii.->i()iKirie<, wliuin we had been umvilliiiif to receive to 
(•lmrcli-nieinber.-«liij) because they ;^ave no evidence that 
they were converted or liad any experimental knowl- 
edge of Cliri^t. 

" Wliile it is true that not a large number were eon- 
verted to Christ during all the years we labored among 
them, we know that the way of salvation through 
("lirist was fully made known to all the |KS)|)le, and 
that ( lod an«l the gosj)el were honored by the work." 

The Kev. Mr, Scott h:is furnished some very iiiter- 
( -ling facts in regard to the early mis.-ions at Wal- 
halla, and also the present contlition ot" things there, 
lie says: "The great flood of 1M,>2 (.M)me ditiir as to 
this date and say 1H47 t drove the half-breeds up the 
rnnbina to setth' at St. doM-ph. the water e.vtendiiig 
;i- far jls where the railroad is at Necho. Walhalla 
became then an important centre, ami had from fifteen 
hundred to tw(» thousand iidiabitant.-. Kur-tradcrs and 
Iinlians came to it from every «juarter — from the .Mis- 
xMiri Kiver, from the Turtle Mountains, from rdican 
aii<l liock Lakes. They came bringing furs to trade 
lor guns, powder, shot, blankets, whiskey and tobacco. 
Mr. Cavalier of l*i inbina, Mr. Kitt.'-on of St. I'aul and 
others ha<l stores there, and the shipments of fui-s to 
St. Paul each .mjlh,,ii wen* verv heavy. It wa.s a sight 
to se«' .s<'veral hundred Ke<l Uiver carts starting out 
with furs, etc. from St. Joseph on their long journey to 
St. Paul. IJuflalo were at first abundant on the plains, 
ami a> they gradually disaj)peared the Indians and 
half breeds removed we.-^tward until the pojndation 
was reduceti tt> about one hundred in 1<H.H(;. Father 
Ilalcourt, the fir>t K<»man Catholic priest at St. do- 
sej>h, arrived there from Pi inbina in 1><'>1, and erecte<l 
a gri>t-mill in the village and also a Koman Catholic 
church. He established a convent with si.x (Jrav nuns 
to instruct the natives under his charge. He did not 
want a Protestant mission-scho<d .so near, and threat- 
ened that it" any attended the scIkhiI they should not 
have Christian burial when they died. This wa.s ilur- 



28 THE MARTYRS OF WAI.HALLA. 

ing the time that the Spencers and Barnards lived and 
labored there. After the breaking up of the Protestant 
mission by the death of Mrs. Spencer, the Roman Cath- 
olic mission did not prosi)er. Complaints were made 
against the priest, and the bishop sent him away." 

Mr. Scott gives the following facts in regard to the 
present condition of the church property in Walhalla : 
" The trustees of the ' Walhalla Presbyterian Manse 
and Cemetery Company,' incorporated by the Terri- 
torial legislature, have deeded to them forty acres, 
twenty of which are set apart for a cemetery. These 
forty acres embrace the cemetery elevation and the 
manse, stable and glebe among the oak trees at the foot 
of a part of the Pembina Mountain range that over- 
looks the village of Walhalla. The cost of the whole, 
including survey of cemetery, will be about fifteen 
hundred dollars. We have sold two hundred lots at 
five dollars each. When we sell another one hundred 
lots there Avill still remain about eighteen hundred to 
sell in the future, to keep the cemetery up for all com- 
ing time. It is the central Protestant burying-place for 
the whole community, and is very finely situated. 
Over thirty now sleep in it, the greater number of 
whom, I have reason to believe, are sleeping in Jesus." 

Memorial Services. 
At this place, on June 21, 1888, a large concourse 
of people gathered together to witness and take part 
in the services held in memory of the devoted women, 
Mrs. Spencer and Mrs. Barnard, whose precious re- 
mains had been reverently removed from their first 
resting-place to the beautiful Presbyterian cemetery on 
the slope of the Pembina Mountains, just back of the 
manse where Rev. Mr. Scott resides. The good peo- 
ple of Walhalla had provided a bountiful lunch at 
the schoolhouse for all who came from the surround- 
ing farms and villages, and, after partaking of the 
good things provided for us, a delightful social hour 
was enjoyed. Mr. Barnard, the sole survivor of the 



THE MAiiTVIi-S (JF WALIIALLA. 29 

luissiun, and hi.s daughter, lia<l come tnim Bcnzoiiia, 
Micljigan, lii.s j)re>eiit lumie, and the meeting of tlie 
tild man with Mr. Cavalier and other friends of his 
youtli \va.s a ^ight worth coming a hmg way to see. 
His presence was an inspiration to us all. After the 
repast all adjourned to the cemetery and gathered 
altout the sjiot where the precious du>t laid heeii nin- 
ttm-d. A Fnnchman, Felix la Traille, who had <lug 
the tir.-t grave, was still there. an<l j)repare<l the graves 
on the mountain-side and as>isted in the s<cond hurial. 
iiefore the services began a photographrr took the 
I (lie, and luis made an excellent picluri-. in liie 
ftiregntund, stated on a Went sapling, wert- ImHx. the 
grave<iigg«r, with his pick and spade, and his wife, a 
Cliipptwa Imlian woman, who cari'<i for tin- Sjn-nrcr 
childn-n the morning after Mrs. SjM'ncfr's nnirdrr, and 
\NaslH-(l from tin* little Imhy's face ili* mother's life- 
hlood with which it was c<»vere«l. The mini>ttrs n-p- 
nseiiting IN-mhina IVeshytrry were gn)Uped n«ar the 
grave> ; ladies repre.M.'nting the foreign missionary or- 
ganizations Wire near ; and a crowtj of men, women and 
children encircled the sacred s|»ot. After singing and 
|>rayer, Kev. Mr. Schell made the oprning r«njarks, 
and was followed liy (»thers. Mrs. Oliver i»f Huron, 
Dakota, representing the lioard of the "North-west," 
made a short and aj»j»ropriale ad«lres<; Mrs. Iin)wn 
of Arvilla. proidtnt of the Presi)yterial Society of 
IN'inliina IVe^hytery, foll<»wfd ; and Mrs, Van Clove 
gave a short account of the effort put forth to procure 
the tond»loius; after which she unveiled them. 

Alter this Mr. liarnard >tood hy his wife's tond) and 
told his story, an<i none who h«'ard it can ever forg<t 
it. Strong men wept, children listened attentively, and 
women's heart-^ w«re stirre<l to their depths at the reci- 
tal of the sutliring-s and tlevotion of the <lear ()ncs who 
counted not their lives tlear unto them if they might 
win to Christ the souls of the ignorant, harharous red 
men and the degraded women and liith- children of the 
rori>t who knew nothing of the dear Saviour. The 



30 THE MARTYRS OF WALHALLA. 

services were closed with singing and prayer, and after 
tlie benediction a purse which had been quietly gath- 
ered during the exercises was handed to Mr. Barnard, 
who was completely broken down and in tremulous 
tones expressed his heartfelt gratitude. 

Thus was dedicated our cemetery at Walhalla, which 
is now a sacred spot. We who were present at the 
dedicatory services will always remember it with loving 
interest, and will pray that those two monuments near 
the mountain-top may prove an object-lesson to all and 
a stimukis to the churches to labor more earnestly than 
ever for the extension of the gospel and the conversion 
of the Indians in our great North-west. 

Among those invited by the committee of arrange- 
ments to be present on the occasion was our United 
States consul at \yinnipeg, Hon. James W. Taylor. 
We append his reply : 

U. S. Consulate, \ 
Winnipeg, June, 15 1888. j 

Eev. J. P. ScHELL, Bathgate, D. T.— 

Dear Sir : I regret that I am prevented by circum- 
stances not within my control from attending, in pur- 
suance of your kind request of the 6th instant, upon the 
memorial services in Walhalla on the 21st of June at 
the unveiling of a monument to the martyred mission- 
aries whose devotion and fate forty years since consti- 
tute such an impressive incident in the early history 
Northern Dakota. 

Anticipating that the details of the tragedy at St. 
Joseph will be fully given by others on the occasion 
referred to, I hope to be indulged in some references 
to the historical significance of the Indian missions 
of North America. 

The scale of American independence would prob- 
ably have been turned against the thirteen colonies, 
except for the Kirkland mission securing the neutral- 
ity of the Oneida and Onondaga tribes of the Iroquois 
Confederacy, and the influence of the Moravian mis- 



THE MARTVILS OF WAIJIALLA. 31 

sioiis of Pennsylvania an<l Ohio in re-straining the Del- 
aware nation from hostility. 

It is now admitted tliat the residence of Whitman 
ami Parker a.s missionaries to the Columbia River, 
fifty years ap), had material influence in the recog- 
nition of the Territ<jrv, now or^^anized as the State 
of Oregon and the lerritory of Washington, as a 
division of the l'nite<l Stiitcs. 

In resjM'ct to the immense district north-west of 
Lake Miciiigan, |)ermanent mi.ssions were established 
in iHiO, at Mackinac by Presbyterians, at St. Honiface 
bv Roman Catholics, and at St. John (now WinnijK'g) 
by the Church of Knglaml, with far-reaching conse- 
(|uences; an<l the frontier annals of Wisconsin, Min- 
nesota and Dakota, as subsecjuently organized, will 
for ever prcstrve the nanus of Morse, Ferry, Ayer, 
Hall, lioiitwcll. Pond, Williamson, Stevens, Hariianl, 
Ilavoux and Riggs — mi»ionarics contemjM»rary with 
tln' military occupation of Fort Snelling and the jxace- 
ful and bent ficial fur-trade as organized and admin- 
istere<l by Siiiley, Kittson and Rice, with unbroken 
harmony between the Indian> and the scattered white 
j»"]iuIation of tradirs and missionaries. 

A similar extension of missionary labors by all ( liris- 
tian denominations was a powerful agency, in combi- 
nation with the wise a<lministration of the Hutl.-on'ji 
Ray Comjiany, in securing permanent tran«|uillity in 
Central iiritish America, now kn<>un as di-tricts of 
Canada and designated as Manitoba, Assiniboia, Al- 
berta, Saskatchewan, Cohnnbia antl Mackenzii' Lantl. 

If, iluring the California gold exo<lus and the confu- 
sion of civil war, exceptions to these peaceful relations 
have transpired (as the iu<sjUs<inations of St. Josiph and 
the Sioux insurrection of 1><<>2-G.) ,', b't us hope that 
their recurrenc*- will hereafter i)e prevented ; and if so, 
liistory will record that no intervention has betn more 
etiective than the zeal and self-denial of the minister:* 
of the cross. Very truly yours, 

J. W. Tayldk. 



l-C 



ao. 




o 












DC 












^. 



^^ 



V^ 



v^^ . .0 



.<• / .\ 



-^• 






\ -69 • '~*- ■*'-^o< 

.vaGUSTINE 4 O 



